India head coach Gautam Gambhir is under severe pressure from all corners for the team’s recent performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gambhir has now been criticized by the former Australia spinner Brad Hogg for his earlier comments related to India’s adaptability.
Before the five-match Test series against Australia, Gautam Gambhir had stated that he wanted India to be adaptable according to the situation. However, Hogg feels that the Indian team was only playing in an aggressive manner.
According to the former left-arm wrist-spinner, a team must know how to play defensively if they are to save a Test match. But India’s ultra-aggressive style has affected them badly which even resulted in a flurry of wickets.
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Brad Hogg questions India’s “adaptability” under Gautam Gambhir
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Brad Hogg remembered Gautam Gambhir’s earlier comments in which he wanted the Indian team to adapt. Hogg called the Indian team to learn how to play defensively along with their attacking game in order to save a Test match.
“The one thing that Gautam Gambhir said earlier on to that he wants his players to be adaptable, have that aggressive brand of cricket but when they have got to save the Test match, they’ve got their defensive game as well. And I really haven’t seen that in the Indian team do that as we’ve gone forward,” Hogg said.
Team India have been playing a highly aggressive game which has even cost them the Test matches. However, such an ultra-aggressive game even gave them an unlikely win against Bangladesh in the two-match Test series.
India have naturally aggressive batters in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Pant smashed a quickfire 61 off 33 balls in the second innings of the Sydney Test on a pitch that was doing plenty for the bowlers.
Gautam Gambhir’s statement on India’s adaptability
India head coach Gautam Gambhir had earlier stated that he wants the team to be adaptable to every situation. Gambhir wanted India to be able to score 400 runs in a single day as well as bat for two days to save a Test match.
“We want to be the team that can score 400 runs in a day and can bat for 2 days to save a Test match as well. And that is the growth and adaptability that we are looking for. And that is what Test cricket is really. We have batters in the dressing room who can do both,” Gambhir has quoted as saying by India Today.
However, the adaptability has been missing so far in the Indian batting line-up. The batters have been unable to stay at the crease for a long time and it seemed that they have been itching to take the game forward way too soon.
T20 cricket is believed to be one of the main reasons behind the Indian batters’ lack of defense. The players play a lot of T20 cricket and often back themselves to score runs quickly rather than staying at the crease for a long time.
Brad Hogg on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s future
Brad Hogg further pointed to Gautam Gambhir and his coaching staff for India’s decline. He also spoke about the poor form of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma which has hurt India badly in the Test series against Australia.
“So, is it Gautam Gambhir that’s got to go or a new head coach brings in his own coaching staff or is it the assistant coaches that have to go as well. But I think through that particular period, you’ve got Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in there as well,” Hogg noted.
“The two leaders that really have not been on the top of their game as well. So, there are a number of variables there which you could look out for, which has been the demise of India at the Test level over the particular period,” he observed.
The upcoming Champions Trophy will be important for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and might decide their future. Both the players are under huge pressure after their decline in form recently.
